Written Answers Tuesday 24 October 2006

Scottish Executive

Care of Elderly People

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28126 by Lewis Macdonald on 19 September 2006, for how long it will provide funding to support the appointment by the Care Commission of a nurse consultant for care homes.

Lewis Macdonald: The Chief Nursing Officer provided a grant to the Care Commission for a period of two years to fund the Nurse Consultant Post for Older People in a Care Home Sector. The grant was awarded to the Care Commission to employ 1 full time nurse consultant and 0.5 part time administration assistant. The appointment was taken up on 12 April 2006.

  On-going funding, if appropriate, will be considered as part of the future budget negotiations with the Care Commission.

Care of Elderly People

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28126 by Lewis Macdonald on 19 September 2006, how much funding it has provided to support the appointment by the Care Commission of a nurse consultant for care homes.

Lewis Macdonald: The grant awarded by Chief Nursing Officer to the Care Commission to employ the nurse consultant is £70,000 a year for a period of two years.

Care of Elderly People

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28126 by Lewis Macdonald on 19 September 2006, what projects the nurse consultant for care homes will be involved in other than setting up a learning network for care home staff to focus on nutrition.

Lewis Macdonald: The learning network will be used to develop communities of practice covering a wide range of issues and topics of which nutrition is one. The network which will be a combination of a web based and face to face contact will allow practitioners to have easy and timely access to evidence based knowledge, share good practice, offer peer support to those working in isolation and support continuing professional development.

  Key elements are a renewed philosophy for care of older people which emphasises respect, dignity and values based care and the importance of seamless care between the NHS and other providers.

  The Nurse Consultant is also working with other agencies e.g. Alzheimers Scotland to develop a programme for care home staff in palliative care for people with dementia, and with The Dementia Centre in Stirling to develop and deliver a leadership programme.

Care of Elderly People

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28126 by Lewis Macdonald on 19 September 2006, for how long the Executive will provide funding to support the appointment by the Care Commission of a nurse consultant for care homes.

Lewis Macdonald: The Chief Nursing Officer provided a grant to the Care Commission for a period of two years to fund the Nurse Consultant Post for Older People in a Care Home Sector. The grant was awarded to the Care Commission to employ one full-time nurse consultant and 0.5 part-time administration assistant. The appointment was taken up on 12 April 2006.

  On-going funding, if appropriate, will be considered as part of the future budget negotiations with the Care Commission.

Central Heating Programme

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many central heating systems provided under its heating programmes have been installed in households with children in each year since the inception of the programmes and how many of these households were removed from fuel poverty as a result.

Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Since 2001, the number of households with children in local authority and housing association properties, which received central heating systems, is shown in the following table:

  

Year
Number of Central Heating Systems Installed in Households
Number of Households Containing Children


2001-02
4,948
822


2002-03
5,720
568


2003-04
6,588
1,275


2004-05
2,185
410



  The programme in the private sector is targeted at those over 60. There is no data available on the number of households with children in the private sector who have benefited from the programme.

  Research estimates that in the first year of the central heating programme nearly nine out of 10 of those who were fuel poor when they entered the programme were lifted out of fuel poverty after participating in it. In the second year of the programme this figure was 72.5%. The figure is not broken down by household composition.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on plans for the future of the National CJD Surveillance Unit, based in Edinburgh.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Secretary of State for Health in England and the University of Edinburgh have an agreement to continue funding the National CJD Surveillance Unit (NCJDSU) until at least 31 March 2010, with an option to extend for three years. The Scottish Executive Health Department contributes to this funding and is represented on the Management Board for NCJDSU. It has been agreed between officials from the NCJDSU and the Department of Health in England to review in 2008 the nature and scope of future work required of NCJDSU, so that agreement can be reached by March 2009. It is likely that the UK Health Departments will require some form of CJD surveillance activity for the foreseeable future.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many units of accommodation are provided for (a) drug misusers, (b) alcohol misusers and (c) both drug and alcohol misusers within the housing support services category of care services.

Malcolm Chisholm: Housing support services to vulnerable groups are provided through the Supporting People programme. The latest available information on numbers of clients supported through the programme, separately identifying drug and alcohol abusers, is given in table 2 of the statistical bulletin Supporting People Client Statistics 2004-05 . This is available on the publications and data part of the housing statistics section of the Scottish Executive website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/housing/hsbref.

  Information is not held centrally on the accommodation occupied by the different client groups supported by the programme.

Education

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to ensure that central or local government funding is maintained for educational advocacy services.

Robert Brown: The main Scottish Executive support for local authority expenditure on education, including educational advocacy services, is provided through the core local government finance settlement. The settlement contains grant aided expenditure (GAE) provision for education that amounts to £4.091 billion in 2006-07. This funding is paid as a largely unhypothecated block grant. Expenditure on individual areas is a matter for each authority taking into account local needs and priorities.

  In addition, £402,513 project funding, has been awarded to voluntary organisations over the period 2005-07 specifically to encourage the development of educational advocacy services for young people and parents of children with additional support needs.

Energy

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the total amount spent by Scottish households on (a) gas and (b) electricity in the most recent year for which information is available.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally. Statistics are available from the Department for Trade and Industry on total energy consumption by domestic users separately for gas and electricity. These are available, together with information on their derivation, on the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/statistics/regional/index.html .

Enterprise

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28495 by Allan Wilson on 27 September 2006, whether other industries will be considered for protection from all forms of unfair competition.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive will work with the UK Government and the Competition Authorities to assist where possible in protecting Scottish manufacturers from unfair competition.

Equal Opportunities

Mr Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost has been for advertising the "One Scotland. Many Cultures" campaign.

Malcolm Chisholm: 2002-03 - £1,435,412

  2003-04 - £510, 532

  2004-05 - £799, 991.44

  2005-06 - £617,728.48

  2006-07 - £189,139.18 (to date).

Europe

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what further dialogue it has had with the participants in the "Our Voice in Europe" Youth Forum, held in the Parliament in May 2006.

George Lyon: None. The forum report was published by the Scottish Parliament in October and the views of the young people will be reflected in the Building a Bridge report that the Scottish Executive will publish later this year.

Food Safety

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding the Food Standards Agency receives to test for contaminants and other unauthorised ingredients in the Scottish food supply.

Lewis Macdonald: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that it funds a programme of food surveys which includes tests for contaminants and unauthorised ingredients. In addition, the agency receives central funding for sampling and analysis of contaminants in imported food at a UK level. This funding is made available to local authorities for sampling and analysis on application.

Food Safety

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding local authorities receive to test for contaminants and other unauthorised ingredients in the Scottish food supply.

Lewis Macdonald: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that it provides funding to local authorities for sampling and analysis of contaminants in imported food. In 2006, £32,429 was awarded to local authorities in Scotland.

  In addition, it is open to local authorities to set their own priorities in relation to the vast majority of the funds they receive from the Executive or collect in local taxation.

Food Safety

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28201 by Lewis Macdonald on 20 September 2006, what the legal basis is for the statement that "The need for widespread testing for any contaminant or unauthorised ingredient cannot be defined on the basis of a numerical threshold, but is determined on the basis of the risk to consumers".

Lewis Macdonald: The Food Standards Agency advises me that the official food and feed control regulation (EC) 882/2004 requires that official controls on food are carried out at a frequency that is proportionate to the risk.

Genetically Modified Food

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27912 by Rhona Brankin on 19 September 2006, what appropriate measures have been undertaken, including random sampling and analysis, to verify the absence of LL601 rice in the products referred to in Article 1 of EC Decision 2006/578 which are already on the market.

Lewis Macdonald: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that it is undertaking a survey of batches of American long grain rice at the level of UK rice mills.

Genetically Modified Food

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what further action it is taking following the arrival in the United Kingdom of a consignment of unauthorised genetically modified rice which had been originally certified as being GM-free.

Lewis Macdonald: I am informed by the Food Standards Agency that it is not aware of the consignment mentioned in the member’s question. Tests by the Dutch authorities showed the presence of GM rice in samples from two barges they had in Rotterdam at the end of August on a ship from the United States of America, and that had been certified as free from GM rice. Neither of these was destined for the UK. Seven further barges of American long grain rice destined for rice mills in England, certified to be free from GM rice, were among the same shipment. Rice from six of these seven barges was detained and tested by the local authorities, and later released when no GM rice was found to be present. Rice from the seventh barge will be tested on arrival before it is released on to the market.

Genetically Modified Food

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding the Food Standards Agency receives to test for the presence of genetically modified products in the Scottish food supply.

Lewis Macdonald: I am informed by the Food Standards Agency that it funds a programme of food surveys which includes tests for contaminants and unauthorised ingredients. In addition, the Agency receives central funding for sampling and analysis of contaminants in imported food at a UK level. This funding is made available to local authorities for sampling and analysis on application. The Agency sets certain priorities for sampling and analysis and this includes GMOs.

Genetically Modified Food

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding local authorities receive to test for the presence of genetically modified products in the Scottish food supply.

Lewis Macdonald: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that it provides funding to UK local authorities for sampling and analysis of contaminants in imported food. In 2006, £32,429 has been awarded to local authorities in Scotland. The agency sets certain priorities for sampling and analysis and this includes GMOs.

  In addition, it is open to local authorities to set their own priorities in relation to the vast majority of the funds they receive from the Executive or collect in local taxation.

Genetically Modified Food

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Food Standards Agency can reclaim the costs of testing for unauthorised LL601 rice from Bayer CropScience.

Lewis Macdonald: I am informed by the Food Standards Agency that the Official Food and Feed Controls (Scotland) Regulations 2005 give the powers to allow local authorities to claim the costs incurred from the person responsible for the consignment. However, there is no provision to reclaim costs from the seed company, if they are not responsible for the consignment being imported to UK.

Genetically Modified Food

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities can reclaim the costs of testing for unauthorised LL601 rice from Bayer CropScience.

Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28651 on 24 October 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliaments website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Genetically Modified Food

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Food Standards Agency instructs local authorities to test for unauthorised LL601 rice; who pays for the testing, and whether the cost can be reclaimed from Bayer CropScience.

Lewis Macdonald: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that it has not instructed local authorities to test for unauthorised GM LL601 rice. Such testing may be undertaken as part of the local authority’s own sampling programme.

  The agency has reminded food business operators that they are responsible for ensuring that the products they sell do not contain unauthorised GM ingredients.

  The business is responsible for sampling and analysis and therefore the costs incurred. The issue of cost reimbursement for sampling and analysis is a matter for the business and their supplier.

Genetically Modified Food

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the Food Standards Agency tests for unauthorised genetically modified products in the Scottish food supply.

Lewis Macdonald: I am informed by the Food Standards Agency that it has not undertaken tests for genetically modified products in the Scottish food supply. Routine sampling and testing of foods is the responsibility of the local authorities.

Health

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will implement the recommendations contained in the report of Professor James McEwen on the provision of chronic pain services.

Mr Andy Kerr: Responsibility for implementing these recommendations rests primarily with NHS boards, based on their assessment of local needs. The Executive has encouraged implementation, taking account of the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland Best Practice Statement on the management of chronic pain in adults published in March 2006.

Health

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will implement the recommendation of the Health and Community Care Committee in Session 1 that comprehensive chronic pain services should be provided throughout Scotland.

Mr Andy Kerr: The provision of services for all long term conditions, including chronic pain, is the responsibility of NHS boards, based on their assessment of local needs.

  All NHS boards provide services for chronic pain management.

Health

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what funds it has provided to Pain Association Scotland and Pain Concern Scotland in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: The following table sets out the funding awarded to the Pain Association Scotland in each year since 1999:

  

Year
Section 9
Section 10
Section 16B
Total


1999-2000
£15,450
£30,000
£12,000
£57,450


2000-01
£15,450
£25,000
£12,000
£52,450


2001-02
£15,450
£25,750
£12,000
£53,200


2002-03
£15,914
£25,750
£15,000
£56,664


2003-04
£16,600
£25,750
£16,000
£58,350


2004-05
£16,600
£25,750
£16,000
£58,350


2005-06
£16,600
£36,000
£16,000
£68,600


2006-07
£35,458
£36,000
£16,000
£87,458



  Pain Concern Scotland has not applied for funding from the Executive.

Hospital-Acquired Infection

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28042 by Mr Andy Kerr on 23 September 2006, whether it will provide a breakdown of the number of cases of MRSA and MSSA since 2003 by NHS board area.

Mr Andy Kerr: A national mandatory healthcare associated infection surveillance system was introduced in 2001 to monitor meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemias (blood infections). From September 2006 mandatory reporting of meticillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteraemias has also been introduced. Cases of MSSA bacteraemia reported to Health Protection Scotland prior to September 2006 have been reported on a voluntary basis and as such compliance is variable and the data have not been validated by HPS. These data should thus be interpreted with due caution.

  The data for which records are available are presented in the following table.

  

Health Board
MRSA
MSSA
Total S aureus


2003
2004
2005
2006 
Q1 and 2
Total
2003
2004
2005
2006 
Q1 and 2
Total


Ayrshire and Arran
33
47
42
22
144
12
6
24
1
43
187


Borders
9
14
13
6
42
13
17
17
3
50
92


Dumfries and Galloway
7
26
29
13
75
16
35
30
18
99
174


Fife
51
49
67
39
206
32
44
47
44
167
373


Forth Valley
37
28
31
16
112
27
27
18
3
75
187


Grampian
52
61
64
50
227
128
126
167
87
508
735


Highland
20
24
29
7
80
37
34
38
16
125
205


Lanarkshire
65
85
99
49
298
45
59
32
31
167
465


Lothian
184
194
209
118
705
172
211
168
101
652
1,357


Greater Glasgow and Clyde
315
319
275
153
1,062
365
348
385
178
1,276
2,338


Orkney
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1


Shetland
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1


Tayside
99
124
113
53
389
106
91
93
55
345
734


Western Isles
3
2
3
0
8
0
0
0
0
0
8


Total
875
974
975
526
3,350
953
998
1,019
537
3,507
6,857



  The figures for NHS Highland and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde reflect the dissolution of NHS Argyll and Clyde.

Hospitals

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27679 by Mr Andy Kerr on 26 August 2006, what stage the review of car parking arrangements in each NHS board has reached.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27679 by Mr Andy Kerr on 26 August 2006, when the findings of the review of car parking arrangements in each NHS board will be published.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27679 by Mr Andy Kerr on 26 August 2006, what the timetable is for carrying out the review of car parking arrangements in each NHS board.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27679 by Mr Andy Kerr on 26 August 2006, what consideration was given to the costs involved in the review of car parking arrangements in each NHS board.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27679 by Mr Andy Kerr on 26 August 2006, what financial costs have been incurred to date in respect of the review of car parking arrangements in each NHS board.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27679 by Mr Andy Kerr on 26 August 2006, what the initial projected costs were of the review of car parking arrangements in each NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: The review, in the form of a questionnaire, was sent out to all boards for completion by 31 August 2006. Certain boards failed to meet the deadline due to holidays but all boards have completed the questionnaire.

  Health Department officials are currently putting together a full report from the information received and I expect to receive this in due course. There are currently no plans to publish the report.

  The review was carried out by officials as part of their normal duties and accordingly there were no project costs. There were administrative costs but as the questionnaire was issued and responses were returned electronically, these were minimal.

Hospitals

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27681 by Mr Andy Kerr on 29 August 2006, whether it will provide a copy of the assurance statements obtained from NHS board chief executives or directors of finance to confirm that boards are not generating income that is being used for purposes other than providing and maintaining car parking facilities.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27681 by Mr Andy Kerr on 29 August 2006, whether the assurance statements obtained from NHS board chief executives or directors of finance to confirm that boards are not generating income that is being used for purposes other than providing and maintaining car parking facilities are legally binding.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27681 by Mr Andy Kerr on 29 August 2006, what legal action it can take if monies raised from car parking charges are being used for purposes other than providing and maintaining car parking facilities.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27681 by Mr Andy Kerr on 29 August 2006, what action it will take if monies raised from car parking charges are being used for purposes other than providing and maintaining car parking facilities.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to answer S2W-27681 by Mr Andy Kerr on 29 August 2006, which NHS board chief executives or directors of finance have provided assurance statements in respect of hospital car parking charges.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to answer S2W-27681 by Mr Andy Kerr on 29 August 2006, which NHS board chief executives or directors of finance have not provided assurance statements in respect of hospital car parking charges.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHS boards that charge for parking are NHS Grampian, NHS Highland, NHS Tayside and NHS Lothian.

  Assurance statements were received from all NHS boards who charge and were also received from NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Borders, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lanarkshire. The boards which did not respond to the request to confirm whether or not they complied with HDL (2004) 19 were NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Fife, NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland and NHS Western Isles. None of these boards charge for parking, and hence no follow up action was taken on assurance statements.

  I will send, under separate cover, the nine assurance statements we have on file.

  The assurance statements are not deemed to be legally binding as they are statements of a state of affairs whereas the term legally binding usually refers to an undertaking or commitment.

  The Health Department Letter (HDL), as guidance, does not have the same legal effect as regulations or Directions. It is not mandatory but NHS boards are obliged to have regard to it and are generally expected to act in accordance with it.

  No actions can be taken against NHS boards as an action can only be taken if it can be established that the NHS board has in fact breached a statutory duty and this is not the case in this instance.

  The Scottish ministers can take action to terminate the appointments of the chairman and/or other members of the board. As a last resort they could use the power in section 77 of the 1978 act to hold an inquiry and (if appropriate) make an order declaring the board to be in default. The members of the board would have to vacate office and new appointments would be made. This power however could only be exercised if the board has failed to comply with any "regulations, schemes, proposals or directions", not guidance.

Housing

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated average cost of purchasing a house has been in terms of legal fees, surveys and other associated costs in each year since 1997.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive does not hold information on the costs of house buying over time. Research conducted in 2002 suggested that the average cost of house buying in Scotland, excluding Stamp Duty was £1,377 at that time. Average solicitors’ costs were just over £1,000 and total average spend on valuations was £299. Although valuation and survey costs were a small component of overall buying costs, costs rose substantially when a series of valuations/ surveys were required. An average of £340 was spent on valuations/ surveys that did not lead to purchase.

  The full report is available on the Scottish Executive website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2002/07/15011/8235.

  and a summary at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2002/07/15012/8257.

Housing

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average house price has been in Edinburgh in each year since 1997.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table gives the total number of sales, median and mean price for house sales within the City of Edinburgh local authority area in each year between 1997 and 2005. The analysis uses information provided by the Land Value Information Unit (LVIU) at Paisley University. LVIU in turn source their data from Registers of Scotland. The mean value excludes all sales with a value of less than £20,000 and over £1 million with the aim of excluding non market sales and non residential sales.

  Table: Number, Median and Mean Price of House Sales in the City of Edinburgh by Year

  

Year
Number of Sales
Median
Mean


1997
14,526
£59,000
£76,147


1998
14,870
£63,473
£83,288


1999
14,834
£70,000
£91,305


2000
14,606
£73,000
£98,525


2001
15,447
£80,000
£106,303


2002
15,800
£96,787
£126,992


2003
16,495
£115,000
£143,009


2004
16,349
£135,000
£162,018


2005
16,267
£137,200
£174,728

Income

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive by how much average income levels in Scotland have changed in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following income estimates are based on the Family Resources Survey. As such, year-on-year changes should be treated with caution due to sampling variation. Identification of trends must be based on data for several years. The Scottish Executive has funded a doubling of the Scottish sample since 2002-03; estimates from 2002-03 should be less prone to fluctuation than those for earlier years.

  Table: Median Equivalised Net Disposable Household Income in Scotland, by Quintile, 2000-01 to 2004-05 (£ Per Week)

  

 
Quintile 1
Quintile 2
Quintile 3 (Scotland’s Overall Median)


Before Housing Costs
After Housing Costs
Before Housing Costs
After Housing Costs
Before Housing Costs
After Housing Costs


2000-01
160
121
231
188
310
266


2001-02
171
131
247
202
326
280


2002-03
167
131
248
208
331
291


2003-04
177
136
266
225
346
310


2004-05
181
139
268
231
349
313



  

 
Quintile 4
Quintile 5


Before Housing Costs
After Housing Costs
Before Housing Costs
After Housing Costs


2000-01
406
357
609
539


2001-02
426
377
660
581


2002-03
430
382
629
573


2003-04
445
403
639
592


2004-05
451
415
646
602



  Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP.

  Table: Percentage Year-On-Year Change in Median Equivalised Net Disposable Household Income in Scotland, by Quintile (% Change)

  

 
Quintile 1
Quintile 2
Quintile 31


Before Housing Costs
After Housing Costs
Before Housing Costs
After Housing Costs
Before Housing Costs
After Housing Costs


2000-01 to 2001-02
7
8
7
8
5
5


2001-02 to 2002-03
-2
0
1
3
2
4


2002-03 to 2003-04
6
4
7
8
4
7


2003-04 to 2004-05
3
2
1
3
1
1



  Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP.

  Table: Monetary Change in Median Equivalised Net Disposable Household Income in Scotland, by Quintile (£ Per Week)

  

 
Quintile 1
Quintile 2
Quintile 3


Before Housing Costs
After Housing Costs
Before Housing Costs
After Housing Costs
Before Housing Costs
After Housing Costs


2000-01 to 2001-02
11
10
16
14
16
14


2001-02 to 2002-03
-4
0
1
6
5
10


2002-03 to 2003-04
9
5
18
17
14
19


2003-04 to 2004-05
5
3
2
6
3
4



  

 
Quintile 4
Quintile 5


Before Housing Costs
After Housing Costs
Before Housing Costs
After Housing Costs


2000-01 to 2001-02
20
20
52
41


2001-02 to 2002-03
4
5
-32
-8


2002-03 to 2003-04
15
21
11
19


2003-04 to 2004-05
6
12
6
10



  Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP.

  Notes:

  1. Scotland’s overall median.

  Quintile 1 is the lowest income group, quintile 5 is the highest.

  "Equivalised" income is used to allow comparisons of living standards between different household types.

  Net disposable household income: Total income from all sources (including Tax Credits) after deductions for income tax, National Insurance contributions, council tax, pension contributions and maintenance payments.

  Housing costs: Rent/mortgage payments, water charges, structural insurance premiums, ground rent and service charges.

  Figures may not sum due to rounding.

Income

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive by how much income levels for the lowest income groups have changed in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Chisholm: Please refer to the tables in the answer to question S2W-28661 on 24 October 2006, for estimates and levels of change in Scotland’s (equivalised net disposable household) income for the lowest groups over the last five years.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Income

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of (a) households and (b) individual citizens have an annual income of (i) £5,000 or less, (ii) £5,001 to £10,000, (iii) £10,001 to £20,000, (iv) £20,001 to £30,000, (v) £30,001 to £40,000, (vi) £40,001 to £50,000, (vii) £50,001 to £60,000, (viii) £60,001 to £80,000, (ix) £80,001 to £100,000, (x) £100,001 to £200,000, (xi) £200,001 to £300,000, (xii) £300,001 to £500,000, (xiii) £500,001 to £1 million and (xiv) more than £1 million.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is set out in the following two tables. The proportions in the tables are estimates derived from (a) the Family Resources Survey (FRS) and (b) the FRS’s Individual Incomes Analysis.

  Due to the small sample sizes in the FRS in Scotland, the latest three years of data have been used to derive the proportions. However, the resulting sample was still too small to allow disaggregation for each of the higher income bands requested; the higher bands have therefore been grouped together.

  (a) Total Annual Household Income: Households by Income Band, Scotland: 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-051

  

Total Household Income
Proportion of Households


Up to £5,000
3%


£5,000 to £10,000
18%


£10,000 to £20,000
29%


£20,000 to £30,000
18%


£30,000 to £40,000
13%


£40,000 to £50,000
8%


£50,000 to £60,000
5%


£60,000 to £80,000
4%


£80,000 to £100,000
2%


£100,000 and over
1%



  Source: Family Resources survey 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05.

  Note: 1. Total household income is the total income from all sources and from all members of the household, before deductions of income tax and National Insurance, and including tax credits and some benefits in kind. Total household income can not be used as a proxy for living standards as it has not been adjusted (equivalised) to take account of household size and composition.

  The following figures should be interpreted with caution and is not regarded as a reliable proxy for living standards. A non-working person, or a person on a low income, living with a high income partner may have a high standard of living despite a very low individual income.

  (b) Total Annual Individual Income1 : Adults by Income Band

  Scotland: 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05

  

Total Individual Income
Proportion of Adults


Up to £5,000
20%


£5,000 to £10,000
24%


£10,000 to £20,000
31%


£20,000 to £30,000
14%


£30,000 to £40,000
6%


£40,000 to £50,000
3%


£50,000 and over
2%



  Source: Family Resources Survey’s Individual Income Analysis for 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05.

  Notes:

  1. Excludes any income which is not accrued to the individual in their own right, and also excludes student loans, Social Fund loans and benefits in kind.

  Equivalised household income is considered to be the best source of information as a proxy for living standards. Low income estimates for Scotland are available at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/95793/0023203.pdf.

NHS Staff

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses currently employed by the NHS will have reached the retirement age of 60 in each year from 2005 to 2020, broken down (a) into those with SRN, SEN, RMN or other qualification and (b) by NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: Table 1 shows the number of registered and enrolled nurses and midwives as at 30 September 2005, aged between 45 and 59, who will reach the age of 60 in each year from 2006 to 2020. Table 2 shows the information split by NHS board.

  Table 1 Registered and Enrolled Nurses and Midwives Reaching the Age of 601

  

 
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013


Scotland 
473
642
617
673
756
787
868
1,050


Registered
400
512
489
562
634
686
766
902


Enrolled
73
130
128
111
122
101
102
148



  

 
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020


Scotland 
1,145
1,239
1,337
1,458
1,578
1,823
1,751


Registered
997
1,096
1,174
1,286
1,415
1,658
1,593


Enrolled
148
143
163
172
163
165
158



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  Note: 1. Includes nurses and midwives aged 45 to 59, inclusive, as at 30 September. 2005.

  Table 2 Registered and Enrolled Nurses and Midwives Reaching the Age of 60 by NHS Board1

  

 
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013


Scotland 
473
642
617
673
756
787
868
1,050


Ayrshire and Arran
17
46
31
56
49
45
54
71


Borders
16
16
14
11
25
22
24
26


Dumfries and Galloway
40
48
49
53
49
64
51
77


Fife 
1
1
1
-
1
3
2
2


Forth Valley 
35
51
45
54
56
54
58
76


Golden Jubilee
77
92
97
94
116
125
122
187


Grampian
32
39
43
46
59
46
61
59


Greater Glasgow
-
2
2
-
1
-
-
6


Highland 
32
48
51
68
62
76
69
92


Lanarkshire
40
83
67
72
79
91
82
87


Lothian
4
3
2
6
5
5
5
13


NHS 24
4
2
3
5
2
3
7
4


NSS
85
95
94
79
91
103
133
136


Orkney
46
58
60
70
83
64
92
104


Shetland
18
24
26
23
35
38
38
54


State Hospital 
5
8
8
8
7
7
12
8


Tayside
3
2
-
1
3
2
7
3


Western Isles
18
22
19
25
28
35
46
44



  

 
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020


Scotland 
1,145
1,239
1,337
1,458
1,578
1,823
1,751


Ayrshire and Arran
74
80
66
92
86
116
99


Borders
32
27
31
41
21
46
50


Dumfries and Galloway
90
94
87
106
135
124
144


Fife 
2
5
6
15
9
13
18


Forth Valley 
92
96
76
96
110
113
112


Golden Jubilee
185
199
242
270
318
358
322


Grampian
55
63
73
67
75
76
87


Greater Glasgow
3
4
5
5
5
5
7


Highland 
87
93
111
120
140
173
152


Lanarkshire
115
115
141
146
133
173
155


Lothian
14
15
19
25
15
25
29


NHS 24
4
6
8
6
6
6
11


NSS
163
160
184
207
219
253
256


Orkney
118
131
141
139
164
159
150


Shetland
39
79
63
63
72
85
88


State Hospital 
18
16
10
10
15
15
12


Tayside
1
4
6
3
7
6
4


Western Isles
45
45
57
42
45
71
47



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  Note: 1. Includes nurses and midwives aged 45 to 59, inclusive, as at 30 September 2005.

  We remain on track to achieve and surpass the 2002 Partnership Agreement target of attracting 12,000 nurses and midwives into NHSScotland by 2007. Between September 2002 and September 2005 we recruited 11,504 nurse and midwives. In total, there are over 65,000 (head count) nursing and midwifery staff numbers in the NHS in Scotland.

NHS Staff

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish any previously unpublished workforce planning documentation relating to Modernising Medical Careers.

Mr Andy Kerr: Documentation relating to workforce planning and Modernising Medical Careers are, to date, working papers and will not be published. The outcome, including medical specialty training numbers for August 2007, will be published as part of the National Workforce Plan in December 2006.

  General documentation relating to Modernising Medical Careers implementation in Scotland is published on the Modernising Medical Careers Scotland website at www.mmc.scot.nhs.uk.

NHS Staff

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many whole-time equivalent anaesthetists currently provide a service to the NHS as part of a rota.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on the number of whole-time equivalent anaesthetists who currently provide a service as part of a rota is not held centrally.

NHS Staff

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many whole-time equivalent anaesthetists are projected to provide a service to the NHS as part of a rota in each of the next 10 years.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on the projected number of whole-time equivalent anaesthetists who will provide a service as part of a rota is not held centrally.

NHS Staff

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many rostered hours of service to the NHS by anaesthetists are currently delivered in Scotland.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on the rostered hours of service by anaesthetists is not held centrally.

NHS Staff

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hours of service to the NHS by anaesthetists will be rostered in each of the next 10 years.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on the projected rostered hours of service by anaesthetists is not held centrally.

NHS Staff

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will guarantee that Modernising Medical Careers will not lead to centralisation and closure of hospitals or departments in the NHS.

Mr Andy Kerr: The key principle of Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) is to ensure that service delivery is maintained. In accordance with Delivering for Health , MMC will provide suitably skilled doctors for the services that the NHS Scotland needs. It is a UK-wide long-term programme, aimed at improving the training of doctors, to improve patient care and better meet service needs in the future. It does this by introducing a more focussed, competence based training, which is not time based.

NHS Staff

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of physical or verbal attacks against NHS staff have been recorded in (a) total over the last 10 years and (b) each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board.

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of physical or verbal attacks against NHS staff were recorded in each NHS board from September 2005 to September 2006.

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of physical or verbal attacks against NHS staff were recorded in each NHS board from January to September 2006.

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the most recent figures are for recorded incidents of physical or verbal attacks against NHS staff in each NHS board.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is not collected centrally in the form requested. However, with the development of the Scottish Workforce Information Statistical System (SWISS) this kind of information will be available in the future.

  The data available on violence and aggression related incidents up to 31 March 2004 can be seen on the Scottish Health Statistics website under workforce statistics, www.isdscotland.org/workforce.

National Health Service

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was advised of the decision to grant restricted patient, Mark Biggley, unescorted leave within the grounds of Ailsa Hospital, Ayr.

Lewis Macdonald: A letter was received from the Responsible Medical Officer on 28 September 2006, two days after the abscond.

Street Lighting

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the funding package for local government is sufficient to ensure that street lighting is maintained and that lights are neither turned off nor dimmed during hours of darkness.

Tavish Scott: The Executive supports local authority core revenue expenditure through its block grant. In distributing this block grant, the Executive provides support of approximately £365 million per annum through the roads maintenance, winter maintenance, road lighting and road administration Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) lines. As part of Spending Review 2004, the Scottish Executive provided local authorities with an additional £60 million in GAE for each of 2006-07 and 2007-08 for road maintenance, winter maintenance and street lighting. It is for each local authority to decide how best to allocate its block grant, based on its local needs and priorities.

Street Lighting

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue any guidance or advice to local authorities in respect of ensuring that street lighting is maintained and that lights are not turned off or dimmed during hours of darkness.

Tavish Scott: The provision and maintenance of street lighting is a matter for local authorities. Section 35 to the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 states that a local roads authority shall provide and maintain lighting for roads, or proposed roads, which are, or will be, maintainable by them and which in their opinion ought to be lit. Local authorities are best placed to take decisions on local needs on roads for which they are responsible.

Student Finance

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much graduate endowment income it (a) has received in each of the last three years and (b) expects to receive in the next three years.

Nicol Stephen: (a) The Graduate Endowment was first collected during the 2005-06 accounting period and £2 million was received.

  (b) The estimated income over the next three years is £20 million per year.

Student Finance

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the procedures for making grants to students with visual impairment who are made conditional offers of places on higher and further education courses.

Nicol Stephen: All students can apply to the Students Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for support before they are firmly accepted on their course. This includes both their main support, which consists of tuition fees and student loan, as well as any supplementary grants to which they are entitled, including the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA).

  The SAAS is aware, however, that sometimes there will be situations which result in an individual application being particularly urgent (e.g. students with complex requirements who would be severely disadvantaged on a course without an immediate assessment of their needs). In such cases, Disability Advisers are asked to outline why such applications should be given priority treatment. Following receipt of the application, the SAAS deals with these cases as a priority.

  SAAS is also able to make advance payments of DSA one month before the start of the course, to enable students to purchase and familiarise themselves with any new equipment before starting their course.

  Students studying a course of further education are not eligible to apply for the Disabled Students Allowance. However, these students can apply for additional support towards personal study and travel related expenses arising through their disabilities from the Additional Support Needs for Learning Allowance, which forms part of the non-advance bursary. This allowance is not means tested, nor are there any pre-set limits on the means or levels of funding by which these needs may be met. The allowance is paid on a discretionary basis by colleges to eligible students.

Vaccinations

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many flu vaccinations will be available in the next two months.

Mr Andy Kerr: Scotland will be receiving 1.3 million doses of flu vaccine this year, 200,000 doses more than we did last year. The delivery of this vaccine for September, October, November and December is as follows:

  September 8%; approximately 104,000 doses

  October 52.8%; approximately 686,400 doses

  November 23.2%; approximately 301,600 doses

  December 15.6%; approximately 202,800 doses.

  Due to problems growing one of the flu vaccine’s virus strains, delivery of the flu vaccine for this season has been slightly delayed by approximately one month across Europe. The initial delay in production means that deliveries of vaccine will be spread over a longer period. Flu vaccine will now be delivered throughout October (over half in October), November and December.

Vaccinations

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how Scotland will be affected by the delay in the supply of flu vaccination.

Mr Andy Kerr: The delay is not expected to prevent priority groups from receiving their flu vaccination. Overall there will be sufficient vaccine to ensure that all those eligible are vaccinated.

  Due to problems growing one of the flu vaccine’s virus strains, delivery of the flu vaccine for this season has been slightly delayed by approximately one month across Europe. The initial delay in production means that deliveries of vaccine will be spread over a longer period. Flu vaccine will now be delivered throughout October (over half in October), November and December.

Vaccinations

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many flu vaccinations were delivered to GP surgeries in (a) October, (b) November and (c) December in each of the last five years.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information is as follows:

  

 
September
October
November
December


2006-07*
8%104,000 doses
52.8%686,400 doses
23.2%301,600 doses 
15.6%202,800 doses


2005-06**
15.5%170,500 doses
62.6%688,600 doses
18.6%204,600 doses
2.2%24,200 doses


2004-05
Information not centrally held


2003-04
Information not centrally held


2002-03
Information not centrally held



  Notes:

  *2006-07 figures are provisional and based on the manufactures best estimates. 1.3 million doses ordered for Scotland.

  **2005-06 1.1 Million doses ordered for Scotland.

  Due to problems growing one of the flu vaccine’s virus strains, delivery of the flu vaccine for this season has been slightly delayed by approximately one month across Europe. The initial delay in production means that deliveries of vaccine will be spread over a longer period. Flu vaccine will now be delivered throughout October (over half in October), November and December.

Vaccinations

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will prioritise the allocation of flu vaccinations to the most vulnerable groups.

Mr Andy Kerr: The UK Health Departments sought the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) who recommended prioritisation as shown in the following table. This information was cascaded to General Practitioners in the Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) letter of 29 June 2006 available at http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/cmo/CMO(2006)08.pdf .

  Vaccine should be used for all those in Priority Group 1 first, and then the following groups in order as vaccine becomes available.

  

Rationale
Priority Group
Description


Individual risk 
1
All those aged 65 year and over 


1
All those aged over 6 months in the JCVI recommended clinical risk groups only 


2
Those living in long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facilities where rapid spread is likely to follow introduction of infection and cause high morbidity and mortality (this does not include prisons, young offenders institutions, or university halls of residence) 


Public health risk 
3
Carers 


4
Healthcare Workers 


5
Poultry Workers (This group will be immunised through a separate programme outside of the seasonal flu programme) 


6 
Demand from any other groups 



  Due to problems growing one of the flu vaccine’s virus strains, delivery of the flu vaccine for this season has been slightly delayed by approximately one month across Europe. The initial delay in production means that deliveries of vaccine will be spread over a longer period. Flu vaccine will now be delivered throughout October (over half in October), November and December.

Vaccinations

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it is offering GPs regarding the shortage of flu vaccines.

Mr Andy Kerr: There is not a shortage of flu vaccine; only a possible delay.

  The Scottish Executive alerted General Practitioners (GPs) to a possible delay, as a result of vaccine production problems encountered by manufacturers, in June 2006. Thereafter updates have regularly been sent to health professionals by the Scottish Executive, Health Protection Scotland and professional bodies.

  In order to plan clinics effectively and ensure maximum uptake, we have asked General Practitioners to liaise closely with their Community Pharmacist colleagues. GP clinics will therefore be arranged around confirmed vaccine deliveries. Patients will be prioritised in terms of clinical need, as advised by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

  Due to problems growing one of the flu vaccine’s virus strains, delivery of the flu vaccine for this season has been slightly delayed by approximately one month across Europe. The initial delay in production means that deliveries of vaccine will be spread over a longer period. Flu vaccine will now be delivered throughout October (over half in October), November and December.